After entering Meteor City, Conrad began moving forward while carefully observing his surroundings.
He had pushed his thoughts and plans aside for the moment.
Since this was his first time arriving in Meteor City, he needed to analyze the environment thoroughly and focus on everything around him.
The first thing he noticed was the sheer number of people.
Almost everyone seemed to treat crude shacks as homes, walking around in torn and worn-out clothing. At the same time, many of them were thin enough to resemble skeletons.
"With living conditions like these, it's not surprising that people develop hostility toward the outside world," he thought.
After spending some time observing the area, he took a deep breath and turned toward a young man who was passing by.
"Is there a bar somewhere around here?" he asked.
The reason he wanted to visit a bar was not only to drink.
He also wanted information.
Bars and similar places were where people gathered, discussed daily events, and shared rumors and secrets.
At the moment, the information available to him was extremely limited.
The young man's face was covered in bruises and scars.
After looking at Conrad for a moment, he answered.
"There is."
"But if you want me to tell you where it is, you'll have to make a small payment."
Conrad nodded.
"How much?" he asked.
The young man hesitated.
He had not expected Conrad to agree so quickly.
"Fifty thousand Jenny..."
"That'll be enough."
His voice carried a hesitant tone.
Conrad smiled.
He looked around and made sure nobody was paying attention before slipping one hundred thousand Jenny into the young man's hand.
"You seem like a smart kid," he said.
"The extra fifty thousand is for whatever information you can tell me about this place."
The young man stared at Conrad with both surprise and excitement.
For a moment, he seemed unsure what to say.
Then he collected himself and began speaking.
"Meteor City is divided into three sections."
"The Outer Regions, the Middle Regions, and the Central Regions."
"Only people with authorization can enter the Central Region."
"And to receive authorization, you need approval from the Meteor City Council."
"The Middle Regions are reserved for people who are doing somewhat better."
"To stay there, you need to pay twenty thousand Jenny per month."
"It's usually where business owners, team leaders, and people with better income live."
"The Outer Region is where we are right now."
"It's also close to the area called the Exchange Zone."
"Most people go there to trade things they can sell or barter."
"They exchange them for necessities like food, water, and shelter."
"If you want to visit a bar, you'll need to enter the Middle Region."
"Walk about ten kilometers in that direction."
"Pay the five-thousand-Jenny entrance fee."
"After that, you'll need to continue making the monthly payments."
"The Middle Region is much more developed."
"You'll find a bar there pretty quickly."
The young man delivered all the information in a single breath.
-
After receiving the information, Conrad smiled and continued walking.
The young man stood there for a while, watching Conrad's back as he disappeared into the crowd. Then he felt the money inside his pocket.
"This is more than enough to start a small business and live in the Middle District."
"I need to move quickly. If anyone finds out I'm carrying this much money, they'll take it from me even if they have to kill me for it," he thought as he quickened his pace.
Meanwhile, Conrad headed directly toward the Middle Districts.
A short while later, he arrived at a large gate built into a wall surrounding the area.
As he approached, a group of rough-looking men raised their hands to stop him.
"You."
"If you want to enter the Middle District, you need to pay five thousand Jenny or hand over something worth five thousand Jenny."
Conrad nodded.
He pulled out a five-thousand-Jenny banknote and handed it over without hesitation.
The fact that Conrad paid immediately without trying to negotiate caused the bandit to pause for a moment.
Someone who could spend money that casually clearly was not struggling financially.
Under normal circumstances, that might have made Conrad look like a potential target.
Instead, the bandit reached the opposite conclusion.
"If he can pay that comfortably, he must be strong..."
"I should be respectful."
With that thought in mind, he put on an ugly smile, revealing his toothless mouth.
"Please, sir."
"I assume you already know this, but come back to the gate each month to make your payment and register your name."
Conrad nodded and continued forward.
After entering the Middle District, he smiled.
The houses were still in poor condition by most standards, but compared to the Outer District, the difference in quality was obvious.
Here and there, he could even see decent-looking stone houses.
People still wore old clothing, but most of it was not torn apart.
The number of individuals walking around looking like skeletons was also much lower.
"Seriously..."
"I walked through a single gate, and the entire environment changed," he thought.
He headed toward a bar.
After entering, several people briefly turned their heads toward him before returning to their conversations and drinks.
The sweet scent of beer filled the air.
Conrad walked over and sat down on a bar stool.
A slightly overweight woman with red hair, somewhere in her middle years, looked directly into his eyes and spoke.
"You're not from Meteor City."
Conrad nodded.
"Is it that obvious?" he asked.
The woman smiled.
"Of course."
"Your clothes, the way you carry yourself, even your skin."
"All of it makes it obvious that you're different."
Conrad nodded again.
"I'd like a beer."
"And some information."
The woman smiled once more while wiping down the counter.
"Beer is easy."
"Information is a different matter." she said.